So my maxima is my first manual car. A few friends of mine drove it and said my clutch feels way off. I didn't want to believe them and i just said it was fine. Till i drove their cars. (jeep wrangler, H3, and a wrx- all stick) and i dont jitter the car shifting into second, i can feel the clutch grabbing when taking off and i feel like a pro driving their cars. But when i drive my max, I can hardly feel the clutch grabbing and it grabs a little moe than half way out. i cant shift into second quick without the car shaking vigorously, and the cluthc pedal distance seems sooo much longer than any of their cars. Whats the problem? a few friends said the clutch needs to be bled, or i just need to adjust my pedal. The clutch itself is fine. I can chirp into second, it doesnt slip at all and it only has 65k miles on it.

any suggestions?

Thanks

 

Oh, and the pedal is really soft compared to their pedals.

 

I would adjust the pedal up some, then if that doesn't help bleed it....

 

So other manual cars are easier to drive then maximas? Cool My 6 speed is my first manual car too. My friends said my clutch was pretty soft too.. but they both have aftermarket clutches, so i don't know what they were comparing it to.

As far as the adjusting the clutch up, how high is it sitting now? It's supposed to sit a little above the brake pedal. As far as the car shaking on a quick shift... it might just take some time for you to get used to get to the car. My max was my first manual car too, and it took some time for me. How long have you been driving yours? My 1-2 shifts can be absolutely SEAMLESS, or a little rough... depending on the amount throttle you give before letting the clutch out, and when you give it. It has to be very precise for a smooth shift.

 

ya their clutches are also stock. Iv been driving my max for 2 months almost, and i still cant get used to it. I shift those three cars i mentioned smoothly even tho it was my frist time driving them. Im gonna get it checked out.. I read that adjusting the clutch is something you can do yourself. But im not that great with mechanics so ill leave it to a shop, Hopefully they can feel the clutch and determine what needs to be adjusted.

Thanks

 

yeah, it took a little more than 2 months for me to get smooth with it.. it's good to know that other cars are actually easier though.. the mechanic will probably say that your clutch is normal.. the most you will need is a bleed, but i doubt you'd need it adjusted.. let us know

 

My Maxima is also my first manual car. It took me a while to get it to shift smoothly, but now I can shift pretty smoothly. I actually find that my Maxima's clutch is a lot stiffer than my friends' clutches. Do you have a 6spd or a 5spd?

 

The 03 isnt as bad as my 97.. They both engage funny. Its like the engagement point is moving around making it difficult to learn just how to let the clutch out. Ive owned a 93 Pathfinder and a 93 Maxima, shifted smooth as hell. What did Nissan change over the years???

 

Yes, the engagement point on the 6spds is pretty high. The clutch pedal travel distance is also pretty deep too. I had 95 Maxima 5spd before this and the clutch on that one felt so much better. It engaged as soon as I took my foot of the floor, wasn't as hard to press, and didn't have to push it in so deep. It took me a long time to get used to the 6spd. The shifter on the 5spd also felt much better (smoother shifts, and shorter shifter travel).

There is a lot of threads on getting your clutch pedal adjusted, but from what I heard, it's a bit tricky and you can ruin your clutch pretty quickly (as some ppl on here have) if you don't do it right. My advice would be to just get used to it.

 

This is just a guess, but as for the engagement point constantly changing... my guess would be that the clutch fluid (brake fluid really) heats up changing the pressure, hence affecting the point of engagement? That would explain the point of engagement being a little bit different when the car is cold vs when it's fully warmed up. I think there is high performance brake fluid you can get that doesn't change much with change in temperature.

 

For the past 2 yrs I've always thought my 95 5spd Max was odd compared to other stick vehicles that I drove/drive. It's indeed soft or weak have you. I've been driving for 15 yrs and in that time most of my vehicles were stick. If this Max didn't run so good I'd prolly just ditch it. I just got done spending $449 and some change tonight from the Trans shops. I got the hoses fixed since there was a leak in one, along with changing the MC, SC and doing a full flush. I thought it might stiffen it up. It did nothing. Pisses me off.

O well I will stop b*tching like that old man I am.